John Gould’s Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Hummingbirds 1861
Lophornis verreauxi
His was a true Horatio Alger story, beginning with humble origins as the son of a gardener. He learned taxidermy at an early age, becoming a taxidermist for the Zoological Society of London in 1827. During this same year he married Elizabeth Coxen, who embraced his ambitions ardently and can be credited with much of his success. Though Gould sketched the outline designs of every plate himself, many of the finished drawings, transfers to lithographic stone & hand coloring were her work.
The inspiration for his work on hummingbirds was derived from travels in America. All of his works were very expensive at the time of publication, and could only be purchased by the very wealthy. It is estimated that only about 250 copies of the hummingbirds were produced, so these prints are a rare treasure indeed. Originally published in 25 parts with a 5 part supplement, the last three parts of the supplement were published posthumously by Sharpe.
Of these six volumes of hummingbirds, consisting of 418 hand colored plates, even fewer have the highly prized gold or silver iridescence, produced by layering gold or silver leaf under the watercolor paint to mirror the shimmering beauty of each bird. This process is now lost to modern colorists and has become the hallmark of authenticity for Gould hummingbirds, as many now offered on the market are later editions without the characteristic gilding. So it is with great pleasure that we offer this authentic ollection of hummingbird prints, most with the treasured iridescence, all from volume volume III, with the largest and showiest species. Donald Heald, the renowned American Book dealer, calls this volume “the distilled essence of a masterpiece…the heart of the work”
These prints are on fine heavy paper in , measuring approximately 14 1/4″ by 21 1/4″, accompanied by the original descriptive text & a copy of the title page to volume III.
Please note all out prints are ORIGINAL antique prints with documented provenance. We do NOT sell reproductions of any type.
Please note this print is a great bargin as it can retail for over $1200. There are minor faults in the top margin, small abrasions which will entirely frame out & print has been previously framed & is lightly toned in image area. “AS IS” at this low starting price of $.99.
Please note all our prints are ORIGINAL antique prints with documented provenance. We do NOT sell reproductions of any type.
Click here to see all
of my auctions
 
For more about Panteek
visit our ME page
Payment: We accept credit cards and PayPal. Washington state residents pay Washington state sales tax based on location.
& Handling:
We are happy to combine print lots for $8.95 domestic or $30.00 international for each shipment. Lower value domestic packages (under $100) will now ship first class at a reduced rate.
International Buyers – Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer’s responsibility. Please check with your country’s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying. Regulations require us to state full value of the item purchased on customs forms. We do not ship to Spain or Italy.
Return Policy: You may return any item within 10 days if not satisfied for any reason. Please contact us if you have concerns, as customer satisfaction is #1 at Panteek.
0.99
0.00